U.S. Constitution/Updated Transcript
Transcript Title text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby. Tim walks down a school hallway. He enters the principal’s office and approaches the secretary. TIM: Um, Mr. Gribbers told me my mother was here with a note? The secretary points to a bench in the office. Moby is sitting there. Moby is wearing women's clothes, a wig, and makeup to disguise himself as Tim's mother. TIM: That's… not my mother. Moby hands Tim a letter, who reads from it. MOBY: Beep! TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, what is the U.S. Constitution? Is it a law? From, Jake. A constitution in a set of basic rules for government. An animation shows a drawing of the U.S. Capitol Building on an architect's blueprint. TIM: It lays out how the government of a particular country works. So, the U.S. Constitution does that for the United States! The blueprint disappears, and reveals the actual U.S. Capitol Building. TIM: When our nation was founded, most countries were ruled by kings and queens. They had nearly absolute authority to make decisions for everyone, and do whatever they wanted. An animation shows a map of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Images of crowns appear in the countries that are ruled by monarchies. TIM: But our founders wanted a system based on the rule of law: Everyone in the country—no matter who they are—has to follow the law. And the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land. An animation shows a map of the U.S. The image of a rule book appears. The book opens and reveals the U.S. Constitution. TIM: That means that all other laws have to stay within the limits it sets out. The U.S. Constitution becomes a character with a face, arms, and legs. It walks over to another group of smaller laws. The little laws run around, and the Constitution tries to keep them gathered in one place, like a parent. TIM: Any law that conflicts with it is illegal, and declared unconstitutional. One of the little laws gets away. It blows a raspberry. A giant hand stamps the symbol of a red circle with a line on the law. Then the law disappears. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, the people who wrote the Constitution, called the Framers, divided it into several sections. An animation shows the Framers of the Constitution in Philadelphia. They're holding the Constitution and posing for a picture. TIM: First, there's the preamble, or introduction, which sets out the goals of the document. An animation shows an image of the Constitution's preamble. It reads, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." TIM: Then come the seven main sections, called articles. Each article covers one part of government, or a key government process. The animation flips through the pages of the Constitution. The headings are visible, which say "Article One," "Article Two," etc. TIM: Like, how a new state can join the country, or the rules for appointing a judge. Two inset bubbles appear. One bubble shows an image of Alaska with a USA ribbon on it. The other shows a judge taking an oath with her hand on the Bible. TIM: Finally, we have additions to the original document, called amendments. The page flips again and reveals the Bill of Rights. TIM: The framers knew the country would grow and evolve in ways they couldn't predict. So, the Constitution includes rules to amend, or change, the Constitution itself. An animation shows a map with the outline of the U.S. Only the original 13 colonies are visible at first. The other states gradually appear, including Alaska and Hawaii. TIM: But passing an amendment is way more difficult than passing a law. Since the Constitution's creation more than 200 years ago, it's only been amended 27 times. An animation shows a page of the Constitution. Pieces of paper labeled with the amendment numbers fall onto the page. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Our constitution is based on a few core principles. One is self-government, also called popular sovereignty. The preamble starts with the words "we the people," in huge letters. An animation shows a group of people standing below the words "We the People." TIM: The idea is that the American people are creating a government, through the Constitution. The group of people transform into one big superhero. The superhero has a golden plate on her chest with the letters "WTP." TIM: The power to rule belongs to us. But it wouldn't be practical if we all had to weigh in on every decision the country needs to make. The superhero zaps her finger and a toy Capitol Building appears in her hand. The top of the building opens up. TIM: So, we elect leaders to represent us in Washington. The animation reveals that Congress is inside the building. Red and blue game pieces represent the elected leaders. TIM: They make choices on our behalf by passing laws, appointing judges, running agencies… all that stuff. Icons appear on screen. They represent the laws, judges, and agencies. TIM: This kind of government is called a republic. We the people lend our power to representatives. If we don't like how they use it, we elect someone else the next time around. The superhero peers into the Capitol Building and frowns. She plucks one of the game pieces from Congress and replaces it with a different piece. MOBY: Beep? TIM: If our representatives try to abuse their power, that's against the law. They can only do what the Constitution allows them to. An animation shows a ballot box in a room. An elected representative sneaks up to the ballot box with an ax. The lifelike Constitution snatches the ballot box before the representative can chop it. TIM: If a power isn't specifically written there, they don't have it. This principle of limited government prevents our leaders from grabbing too much power. The Constitution walks away with the box. The representative throws his ax on the ground, frowns, and folds his arms across his chest. TIM: It's like the flipside of popular sovereignty: We the people start off with all the power… An animation shows a split screen. The superhero stands on the left. An image of the Capitol Building is shown on the right. A battery life icon appears in the top corner of each image. The superhero's battery is full, and the government's battery is empty. TIM: And the government starts off with no power… beyond what we give it. The superhero points at the Capitol Building. She transfers a few bars of power from her battery to the government's battery. TIM: State governments are another big limitation. The Constitution strikes a balance between national and state power. This system is called federalism. An animation shows a balanced scale. An icon representing national power is on one side, and an icon representing state power is on the other. TIM: Delegated powers are those granted to the federal government. Like, it has the power to print money and declare war. Marbles representing money and war fall onto the national power side of the scale. The scale tips. TIM: While the states get reserved powers. Like, the power to establish schools, and make new marriage laws. Marbles representing schools and marriage fall onto the other side of the scale. The scale balances again. TIM: Some powers are shared by the nation and the states, like collecting taxes. These are called concurrent powers. Marbles with a dollar symbol fall onto both sides of the scale. TIM: Of course, both state and federal governments are limited by the Constitution. The animation reveals that the lifelike Constitution has been dropping the marbles onto the scale. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Besides having to share power with the states, the federal government itself is divided. The separation of powers splits control of the government into three branches. That ensures that no single branch will gain too much power. An animation shows an American flag. It transforms into a pie chart with three slices. The slices are labeled "executive," "legislative," and "judicial." TIM: The legislative branch, which consists of both chambers of Congress, makes the laws. An animation shows an image of the Capitol Building. TIM: The executive branch, which includes the President, enforces the laws. An animation shows an image of the White House. TIM: And the judicial branch, which is the whole federal court system, reviews the laws. An animation shows an image of the Supreme Court Building. TIM: This division also creates a system of checks and balances. That means that each branch checks, or limits, the other branches' power. An animation shows icons of the three buildings. The icons rotate in a circle. TIM: Like, when Congress passes a law, the President can veto, or reject, it. An animation shows a law written on a piece of paper. The hand of the President applies a stamp that says "veto." TIM: But with enough votes, Congress can override the veto, and pass it anyway. The hand of congress erases the veto stamp and replaces it with a ribbon that says "law." TIM: After a law passes, the federal courts can rule that it violates the Constitution. The highest court, called the Supreme Court, makes the final decision about constitutionality. An animation shows the law flying to the Supreme Court. A magnifying glass examines the law. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Individual rights are another big check on the government's power. The Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, lists some of these liberties. An animation scrolls through the text of the Bill of Rights. TIM: They include freedom of speech, the right to a jury trial, freedom of the press, and protection against unfair searches. These amendments were added just after the Constitution itself was approved. Icons appear on the screen. They include a megaphone, a gavel, a newspaper, and a sign that says "keep out." TIM: Many of the later amendments cover individual rights, too: The Thirteenth Amendment outlaws slavery. The animation flips to the Thirteenth Amendment. An image of hands breaking a chain appears. TIM: Fourteen says that state governments have to respect the same individual rights as the federal government. An animation shows a cartoon state of Texas. It uses its arms to try to tear up a paper with the Bill of Rights. It is unable to do so. TIM: Fifteen and Nineteen gave African Americans and then women the right to vote. The animation flips to another page of the amendments. The hand of an African-American person drops a ballot into a voting box. Then a woman's hand drops a ballot into a voting box. TIM: Remember how the people have the power in our democracy? Voting is how we exercise that power. It took a while for Americans to realize that "we the people" includes all of the people. So, we updated the Constitution to reflect that. An animation shows representatives standing in front of a government building. The representatives are mostly older white men. Their photo fades into an image of a diverse group of representatives standing in their place. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, that's the thing about the U.S. Constitution. It isn't perfect. But it gives us everything we need to make it—well, more perfect. That's what it means when people say that it's a living document. An animation shows a group of people visiting the original Constitution during the early 1900s. TIM: As our values change, the Constitution adapts, while still holding to its core principles. Which I guess is its own kind of perfection. The image fades. A new image of modern-day people visiting the Constitution appears. TIM: Hey, I really have to get to my next class, Moby—I mean… Mom. Moby licks his fingers and smooths Tim's hair. Tim grits his teeth. TIM: Ugh. Category:BrainPOP Social Studies Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Transcripts